


you took me by surprise

by estrella30



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-26
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 18:05:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/469156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/estrella30/pseuds/estrella30
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>liam is a famous athlete and louis is a professional escort. And then things happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	you took me by surprise

**Author's Note:**

> this was supposed to be a fill for a prompt on the liam/louis fic meme but it wound up being NOTHING LIKE THE PROMPT AT ALL. the prompt was athlete louis and his trophy boyfriend have sex on a boat ala the australia picture of them lounging while louis drank a mimosa or something. 
> 
> but THEN I accidentally made louis a hooker? (WHOOPS.) and forgot to put them on a boat and louis isn't a trophy ANYTHING and it just...failed miserably at the prompt and then there is schmoop. 
> 
> but! I still like is and harriet_vane had a no good terrible bad awful rotten day so. this is for her if she wants it :D

“So, I mean. Is there anything you won’t do? You know, in terms of…” 

There’s a long pause and then nothing else. Louis looks up from where he’s playing with his phone and smirks. “In terms of what?” he says. “Sex? Blowjobs?”

The man standing before him blushes the prettiest shade of pink. “I. I mean, yeah, I guess so,” he says while rubbing a hand nervously over the back of his neck. 

Louis tosses his phone on the couch and stands up. “Listen, Mr. Payne—“

“Liam, please,” he corrects, with a sweet, slow smile. He sticks his hand out and Louis stares down at it a little confused before realizing Liam wants to shake.

“Oh, uhm, sure,” Louis says, and takes Liam’s hand. “A little formal, yeah, mate?” 

Liam frowns. “I’m sorry, I’m not quite sure I understand—“

“Well it’s just that I was pretty much hired to go with you to a dinner event in a few days, right? And then suck your dick later that evening?" Liam chokes and drops Louis’ hand. “Whoever hired me did tell you that, yeah? I'd hate to think this is coming as a complete shock to you.”

“No. No, they said that’s what you were – that’s why you were here, I mean,” Liam stammers. “I’m just. I’m a little bit shit at this, to be honest,” he says, a self-conscious blush creeping up his neck and ears, and oh, he is handsome. He looks away from Louis, chewing on his lower lip and staring into the distance. “I’m not much good at casual, truth be told,” he finally says, voice going quiet.

Louis claps him on the back and drags them both down onto the couch in Liam’s sitting room. “That’ll work out fine since I’m not usually good at anything but. So! Things I won’t do, you were asking.”

Liam nods. “Yes, I want to make sure I don’t, I have no idea, ask you to go somewhere or do something that you’re not authorized to do.”

“Hmm,” Louis pretends to think. “It’s simple enough, really.” He holds up a hand and ticks off on his fingers. “I’m not supposed to make eye contact with you at meal times. I have to walk three paces behind you at any event we attend. And I don’t kiss on the mouth.”

Liam stares at him, horrified. “ _Really_?”

“No,” Louis says, around a short burst of laughter. “This isn’t Pretty Woman, for pete’s sake.” He claps Liam on the knee then decides to leave his hand there, maybe slide it up a little on Liam’s thigh when Liam jumps back like he’s been shocked. “I don’t like to do the same kinds of things most people don’t like to do,” Louis says. “You know. Large farm animals. Small farm animals. Any kind of farm animals, really, doesn’t much matter the size.”

“Oh, well, I can assure you that wouldn’t be—“

“Unless, of course, you _do_ like farm animals,” Louis adds, with a little wiggle in his eyebrows. He’s fairly certain there’s not a person on the planet who would be less into farm animals than Liam Payne, but it never hurts to check. 

Liam looks about right to have his head explode he’s shaking it back and forth so vehemently. “No. I most certainly don’t –“ he splutters a little more before looking at Louis and realizes he’s joking. “Sorry,” Liam says around a soft laugh. “I never can tell when someone’s being serious or just taking the piss.”

Louis shakes his head. How on earth did he even wind up on this job? What was Simon thinking? “Mate, we’re going to have some problems then,” he says. Liam looks concerned but Louis’ not sure if it’s from what he’s saying or the way Louis’ hand is now dangerously close to Liam’s crotch. “Because I don’t think I’ve been serious a day in my life and I’ve not been planning on starting now.”

Liam still looks spooked. Louis takes his hand away to try and get him to calm down a little. Gives him a friendly pat on the knee instead. “Just relax, yeah?” Louis tells him. “You’re acting like this is the first time you’ve been set up with someone through a service.” And, oh. Oh no. Liam chokes a little and goes red to the roots of his hair. 

“Uhm. Yes. Well, I’ve really got to get—“ he says and jumps from the couch, waving awkwardly as he backs away, tripping over the coffee table and three sitting room chairs as he tries to escape. “I’ll, uhm. I’ll see you at supper Mr., erm—“

“Louis,” Louis supplies. 

“Right,” Liam says, sounding relieved. “Mr. Louis.”

“No, just Louis,” Louis tells him.

“Oh. Ok then. I’ll just. Uhm,” Liam disappears around the back of the doorway and out of the room. “I’ll see you at supper!” he calls and Louis drops his head back onto the couch and groans. That honestly couldn’t have gone worse if he’d tried. 

*

“He’s just so _strange_.” Louis leans back into the pillows against his bed and rolls his eyes as Harry laughs at him from the other end of the phone. “You don’t understand, Haz. He’s like—“

“Strange?” Harry supplies. He laughs again. “You said that already.”

Louis huffs. “I just have no idea what I’m doing here.”

“Hmm. Well the award dinner is tomorrow night, right?” 

“Yeah.” Louis sighs. It’s been three days of staying in Liam’s posh flat and watching all of his favorite movies on Liam’s enormous entertainment center and eating all of Liam’s amazing food, and Liam seems fine with that. He’s given Louis a beautiful room with a king size bed with the most amazing sheets and a hot tub in the loo. The closets are filled with sleek pastel pants and expensive trainers and jumpers all in Louis’ size and it’s as if Liam doesn’t even care. He’s never made a move on Louis, not even once, as if all he wants is Louis to hang out with him. Watch movies and eat dinner with him and _talk_ to him a lot. 

Louis tries explaining this to Harry again. “He’s just. I just don’t understand him,” Louis says and throws an arm over his eyes. “He says things and seems to _mean_ them.”

“Maybe he does,” Harry says simply and Louis huffs. “No, for real. I mean, he’s one of the only openly gay track stars in the past few years, you know? And he didn’t have a big coming out thing, he just always was. He dated the lead singer, Zayn Malik or summat from that band a few years back, and he’s always been really open and goes to schools to talk about bullying and stuff.”

“I know all that,” Louis grumbles. “I can read The Sun just as well as you can, Harry.”

 

“I’m just saying maybe he’s being genuine,” Harry adds, failing miserably at being patient. Louis doesn’t have to see him to know Harry’s rolling his eyes. “Maybe you’re not giving him enough credit.”

“I’m giving him plenty of credit,” Louis grumbles, but even as he says it he’s not entirely sure it’s true. 

*

The award Liam is winning is for best stand out, breakout track star in an independent league while wearing mittens, or something. Louis isn’t entirely sure. All he knows is that when he woke in the morning there was an expensive looking black tuxedo with a crisp white shirt hanging outside his bedroom door and then Liam spent most of the day doing interviews and getting ready with his stylists. Louis had barely seen him.

It was definitely well worth it if the finished product is what Louis is looking at from the back of the car that’s driving them to the dinner. Liam’s hair is soft and tousled but not messy. His tuxedo is pressed and gorgeous, a thick gold and brown tie knotted at his neck making his eyes look even darker and softer. He really is beautiful, and instead of only thinking it for once, Louis tells him that. 

Liam chokes a little on his glass of water. “Oh. Uhm. Thank you?”

Louis rolls his eyes. “You really are crap at this, aren’t you?” Liam laughs quietly, drops his eyes, and Louis adds, “Here’s where you’re supposed to tell me how lovely I am, Liam, and how dashing I look in these trousers.”

“You are lovely,” Liam says, and his voice is firm and sure. It’s such a change from the way he usually stammers around Louis that Louis feels his face heat and he has to look away. 

“Right. Well, that’s why you’re paying me the big bucks, yeah?” He means it to be a joke but it falls horribly flat, Liam looking terribly awkward and Louis not able to meet his eyes at all. He has no idea what is even happening right now. This is nothing like any job Louis has ever been on with any other bloke ever. It’s making his head spin he’s so confused, and that’s before Liam clears his throat and asks, “So, Louis. Do you have any hobbies?” and Louis loses any last thread of composure he’d been hanging onto. 

“Yes, quite a few,” he says, voice hard and clipped, because this is ridiculous. “Most of them revolve around blow jobs and hand jobs actually, Liam, what the bloody hell? I mean, what _are_ you? Why have you been acting like this all week?”

“Acting like what?” Liam asks, and he sounds so honestly confused it just makes Louis more cross.

“Like this!” He gestures angrily between the two of them. “Like this is something. Like there’s a reason you keep asking me about myself and what I like to do and my _hobbies_ for crying out loud. Like you actually give a shit—“

“Don’t,” Liam warns. Louis stops talking, all the breath rushes out of him and he just feels horrible and shaky. “Don’t you dare act like you know me just because—“ Liam’s breath cuts short, and Louis smiles, hard and sharp.

“Because what?” he asks. “Because you’re paying me? Did you forget that part?”

“Shut up.” 

Louis’ head whips up because he can’t believe what he’s just heard. From the looks of his face Liam seems to not believe he’s actually said it either, and Louis doesn’t know if that makes him feel better or worse. Liam shoves a finger into the collar of his shirt and tugs and he looks so miserable, so wrecked, that all the fight drains out of Louis’ bones. He shouldn’t be doing this. Shouldn’t be acting like this, getting Liam mad, making him yell. This is Liam’s night and Louis has a job to do. He has to remember that. 

They pull up in front of the dinner hall, and as the car slows to a stop Louis puts his hand on Liam’s knee and opens his mouth to apologize. The way Liam shakes him off hurts more than if Liam would have punched him square in the face. 

“Liam, I’m sorry for—“

“Stop it, Louis.” Liam laughs, and it sounds bitter and ugly. “I can tell you to do that, right? After all, as you keep reminding me I _am_ paying you.”

Louis swallows. “Right you are, Liam Payne,” he says. As they step from the car and the cameras flash Louis has never felt more alone in his life. 

*

The dinner is a rousing success. Liam keeps his arm around Louis’ waist, pulling him close and making it look to all the world like they’re having the night of their lives. He introduces Louis to all of his fellow athletes, laughs with them and has a cocktail or two, and Louis acts just as happy as well. It doesn’t matter that his insides are completely twisted in knots. Louis has been trained by the best - he’d never have made Simons key team if he hadn’t been - so he’s able to smile at all the right people, laugh at everyone’s jokes, when every time he notices that Liam is never actually looking him in the eye, is never actually talking directly _to_ Louis it kills him just a little bit more. 

By the time they get back to Liam’s flat it’s late. Louis had been figuring this was going to be the night that something was going to happen between the two of them, since as of tomorrow he’s officially a free man. He’d been looking forward to it a few days ago – getting to leave here and go back to his regular life - but now the thought of that makes him a little sad and Louis has no idea why. 

When they get to the hall where the bedrooms are though, Liam just looks up at him briefly and murmurs a quiet goodnight before letting himself in his own room and shutting the door behind him and that. That’s not good. Not only because Louis actually _wants_ Liam now, but in the more practical aspect, Liam is not letting him do his _job_. He’s supposed to stay with Liam for a few days, go with him to the dinner and then fuck him, or something. This is just – it’s wrong for him to be standing in the hallway by himself while Liam is in his room alone. 

It’s that thought that has Louis make his feet move across the hall and lets his hand ball into a fist to bang against Liam’s door. He’s doing his _job_. Simon will _fire_ him. He won’t be able to pay his rent and get kicked out of his building and have to live on the streets and eat stale crisps from the trash and it will all be Liam’s _fault_. Louis isn’t going to stand for it.

The door rattles and then it’s being opened and oh. Wow. Liam had apparently been getting ready for sleep, so the ends of his tie are hanging loose around his neck and the buttons are undone on his shirt. Louis swallows hard, lets his eyes trail down and it’s the littlest thing – the smallest patch of skin showing at the base of Liam’s throat that completely sends Louis over the edge, because screw his job. Screw what he’s supposed to be doing. He likes Liam and he wants him and he’s going to try and say he’s sorry for how he acted and hopefully Liam will forgive him and let him in.

“Liam, I didn’t mean to—“ Louis starts to say, but Liam isn’t listening, too busy shoving the door closed and locking it. Cupping Louis’ face with his hands and leaning down to kiss Louis hard on the lips and thank _god_. Louis can’t speak, can barely even think from the way his brain is shorting out, his breath getting locked up and stuck in his chest. It’s not a surprise that Liam’s an amazing kisser, that he angles Louis head where he wants it. Licks into his mouth and bites at his lips and the corner of his jaw. 

Louis scrabbles at Liam’s clothes, yanking on the edges of his shirt and uses the ends of Liam’s tie to pull Liam down closer. Liam laughs against Louis’ mouth and Louis uses the momentum to spin them, back Liam into the wall and pin him there pulling back with a wicked grin. 

“Stay,” Louis says, and drops to his knees.

The thing is, Louis is good at this. He knows he is. It’s part of his job after all. But being with Liam makes Louis want to make things not so perfect. He wants to be messy, wants to suck Liam’s dick and be loud and get spit and come everywhere just to watch Liam fall apart under his hands and mouth. Liam makes Louis want to do a lot of stupid things, actually, and as he yanks Liam’s trousers down his hips, as he tilts his head up into where Liam has his fingers tangled in Louis’ hair, sucks Liam’s dick into his mouth and licks along the shaft loving how hot Liam is on his tongue, Louis thinks that when they’re done maybe he’ll actually tell him that. 

“I’m not going to—oh god, Louis, I’m not going to last,” Liam gasps. His hips are thrusting in short, jerky bursts so Louis swallows him deeper, digs his fingers into Liam’s hips to hold him in place while Liam comes down his throat and over his mouth and the corner of his jaw when Louis pulls back and away. 

Liam yanks him up. Kisses his come off Louis’ lips and shoves his hands down the front of Louis’ pants.

“You don’t have to—“

“Shut _up_ , Louis,” Liam hisses. “Do you ever stop talking?” and Louis can’t remember the last time anything like this has ever happened. That he’s been with someone because he _likes_ them. That he wants to kiss them and touch them and have them touch him back. He laughs against Liam’s mouth and he can feel Liam’s lips curve in a smile and Louis is almost giggling when he comes and really, it’s probably the nicest thing ever. 

*

They’re lying in Liam’s bed after that, sleepy and tired. Louis can’t remember the last time he’s felt so comfortable. So happy, even. Liam curls his arm closer around Louis’ shoulders and kisses the top of his head and Louis thinks _maybe_. Maybe it’s time for something different. 

“I. Uhm.” He clears his throat. The bed shifts and he can feel Liam looking at him but he doesn’t look up or try and catch his eye. This is hard enough without Liam _looking_ at him. “I sing,” Louis says. His voice is hesitant. “Well, a little bit, I mean. But that’s. Yeah. That’s one of my hobbies, I guess.”

It’s so, so quiet for a second, and then, “That’s…” Liam says, softly. His voice trails off. He clears his throat and when he speaks again he sounds choked up. A little rough. “That’s amazing, Lou. I’m really glad to know that.”

Louis kisses Liam’s chest and curls in closer. “I’m really glad you know it too.”

 

-END-


End file.
